VICTOR BELMONDO PT 1

What is the dominant emotion at the end of the first day of shooting? 

The main emotion I felt at the end of the first day of shooting was relief because I’d started by shooting a very complicated scene. It was a very technical text, a big monologue that was quite difficult to learn and get used to, so I was a bit stressed about starting with that and not having an easier scene at the beginning, and in the end, it went very well, so I’d say the dominant emotion was relief, and also joy at finally being there and finally starting this shoot, because we’d all been waiting for it. We were all very happy to start shooting this film. There was also the excitement and anticipation of seeing Theo (Christine) and Lou (Lampros) arrive and having my first scenes with them. It was a mixture of excitement, relief, and joy! But in the end, that scene isn’t in the film anyway (laughs).

How did you become acquainted with Gael Morel’s work before shooting Vivre, mourir, renaitre?

I’d already seen some of Gaël Morel’s films; I’d seen his film with Sandrine Bonnaire, with Catherine Deneuve too; he’s someone with an extensive filmography. I’d also seen him as an actor in Les Roseaux Sauvages, so I knew who he was and what he’d done. I knew his cinema, so it’s true that I didn’t need to delve into his filmography, even if there were films I hadn’t seen and that I did watch, like Le Clan. Still, I already knew who he was and his work, so it wasn’t complicated; it was more the meeting with him that was decisive, and that was very strong right away. It wasn’t so much that I got to know his work but that I got to know how he worked and how he wanted us to work together. So he guided me quite a bit in terms of films to watch, books to read, he acted as a mentor in the preparation by advising me on many films that weren’t his, and books to read… that was above all the work I did with him.

read more in the upcoming issue…